The piece argues that widespread belief in human equality is historically novel and depends on secure living conditions created by strong states and integration. Applying today’s egalitarian standards to earlier eras misreads how people living amid constant predation and scarcity viewed outsiders.
— This reframes culture‑war judgments about the past and warns that egalitarian norms are contingent, not automatic, which matters for policy and civic education.
Rob Henderson
2025.12.02
64% relevant
Henderson’s paradox — freer, richer societies reveal genetic and personality differences while public culture insists on blank‑slate equality — connects to the argument that egalitarian norms are historically contingent on security and integration.
Brian A. Smith
2025.10.01
100% relevant
Ellis’s line: “Gens una sumus is a modern luxury made possible only by living conditions that are far more secure than those of 1500.”
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